Matilda. Paddington. Harry Potter. Many of the world’s most beloved characters from children’s literature are seedlings sprouted from the British imagination. Whether it's tending Peter Rabbit’s garden or picnicking at Pooh Corner, a tour of Englands most-famous landmarks of children's literature brings the whimsy and wonder of kids’ books to life. Broomsticks and wizard hats optional.
Paddington Bear
Queen Elizabeth II’s favorite bear has been a source of pride for Londoners since his arrival in print in 1958– so much so that there’s a bronze statue of the marmalade-sandwich lover at Paddington Station in West London. As any fan of the books by Michael Bond will know, it was here that the Peruvian stowaway got his adopted name from Mrs. Brown. Currently at Platform 1, he is soon set to be moved to a more celebratory spot at the center of the station, which is also home to the world’s only dedicated Paddington shop. It’s here, at the shop counter, where you can pick up a map to guide you along the Pawprint Trail, a series of Paddington Bear statues decorated by celebrities and artists. Or visit the sherbert-colored homes of Windsor Gardens, about a half-hour walk from Paddington Station, where the Brown family lived. (Don’t expect to find their home, however; there is no number 32 in the real Windsor Gardens.) Continue to the hedge maze at Hampton Court, where Paddington and Mr. Gruber visit in Paddington Bear and the Marmalade Maze, and invite some tourists back from tea after losing them in the famous labyrinth. Outside of Padding Station, the Paddington Basin is a great spot for a leisurely summer stroll, with pavement fountains and barge restaurants on the canal. On the basin you’ll also find al fresco film screenings, an annual dragon boat regatta, and life-size brick molds of the coat-clad bear.
Winnie the Pooh
“People say nothing is impossible, but I do nothing everyday.” So said literature’s softest slacker, and it’s Sussex where the sweet fantasy of doing nothing is made possible. In 1925, writer A.A. Milne bought Cotchford Farm, an ivy-covered country retreat in the tiny Sussex town of Hartfield, and it’s here where Pooh, Piglet, and friends sprung to life. (The farmhouse is also famous for its association with The Rolling Stones’s Brian Jones, who owned the property for one year until his tragic death in 1969.) While Cotchford Farm is privately owned and largely barred from public visitors, this year saw the farm open for rare tours of the gardens on two weekends in May. It was an opportunity for visitors to meet the statue of Christopher Robin Milne— the writer’s son and the inspiration for the Pooh protagonist— as well as Owl, who is nestled in its leafy, rhododendron-lined borders. Cotchford Farm lies adjacent to Ashdown Forest, the inspiration behind Hundred Acre Wood, where Pooh and friends loved to get into sticky situations. Here you’ll encounter the real-life counterparts to Galleons Lap, Poohsticks Bridge, and Pooh Corner— a cozy cottage cafe where a tea room and “Pooh-seum” offer a glimpse into the brainchild of the famous bear. Make sure to book ahead, especially if you’re going in the summer, when the pastures are their greenest and most popular, and keep an eye on Cotchford Farm for more opportunities to peek past its gates.
Gruffalo
If you're looking for some wild things, you'll find them along the trails of the United Kingdom’s deep, dark woods. 15 forests across the U.K. feature whimsical wood sculptures of beasts and monsters from Julia Donaldson’s much-loved Gruffalo book series. Finding each leopard-spotted snake or googly-eyed creature requires combing through the dense trees of the Alice Holt Forest, Dalby woodlands and other winding nature trails. Gruffalo Spotter, an app that brings Julia Donaldson’s characters to life through augmented reality, means youngsters can meet Mouse, Owl, Fox, Snake and Squirrel in the wild. In Wealdd Country Park, the Stick Man Play Trail— inspired by Donaldson’s bestselling book about an anthropomorphic stick and his Homerian quest to return to his family— is a roughly mile-long permanent trail featuring climbing frames, slides, swings, and a wooden playground.
Peter Rabbit
Beatrix Potter was a frequent visitor to the Lake District before she purchased Hill Top, a 17th-century farmhouse near Windermere, in 1905 with money she made from her first book, The Tale of Peter Rabbit. Her menagerie of farmyard characters were all rooted in this area’s bucolic fells. Today, her farmhouse is a museum owned by the National Trust, which will appeal to adult fans of Potter and her whimsical imagination. Kids, however, will likely find more to do at the World of Beatrix Potter, which features sculptures from Potter’s most beloved books in a lifelike woodland glade. Also included on the lakeside site is an organic garden, complete with the watering can in which Peter Rabbit hides and Benjamin’s favorite cos lettuce. Some of the seasonal fruit and vegetables feature in the menu of the character-themed-cafe, where scone towers and high tea offer a taste of the English countryside. Events held at the museum include puppet animation workshops, live storytelling, and meet-and-greets with Potter’s favorite animals, while the nursery gift shop, Rebel + Rose, features sustainable striped onesies and fuzzy rabbits in a range of pastel colors.
Willy Wonka, Matilda, and Other Roald Dahl Favorites
About 20 miles northwest of London and accessible by rail, the Roald Dahl Museum & Story Centre in Great Missenden, Buckinghamshire, is located in the home where the writer lived and wrote most of his books. Just look for the sign that reads ‘Flushbunkingly Gloriumptious’ above the doorway next to a looming, Quentin Blake-drawn shadow of the B.F.G, or Big Friendly Giant. Inside, kids can step into Dahl’s famous imagination with over 40 interactive activities. The doorways are composed entirely of Wonka chocolate bars, and they smell like it too. Kids can also sit in Dahl’s writing hut, where he wrote daily for 35 years, which includes a worn armchair, handmade green writer’s slant, and a host of curios (a hip bone that he kept after an operation; a KitKat foil ball he made from hundreds of chocolate wrappers). Daily storytelling sessions take place in the courtyard or, when it rains, the classroom of Miss Honey— a reference to Maltida, whose plucky statue stands outside, hands-on-hips and all.
